Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma

Last night, Taxi to the Dark Side premiered on HBO. The Oscars' "Best Documentary" reveals in disturbing detail how the US government condoned torture in the wake of 9/11, first in Guantanamo and then in Iraq and Afghanistan. But the sweeping policy narrative is anchored in the smaller story of the driver of the titular taxi: Dilawar, a young Afhgani man who had never spent a day apart from his father and mother until he was arrested and delivered to the US military. Five days later he was dead ... More »

Defending Twittering Funerals
"I can tell you now that I could go to a funeral and Twitter it and you'd appreciate it, because I would do it in a sensitive way."

Theaters Pull Film for Child Rape Scene
Local theaters pull "Hounddog" for showing the rape of a twelve-year-old girl.

Authorities Look for Answers After Finland School Shooting
Frank Ochberg, Dart Center's Chair Emeritus, speaks to questions of policing the Internet in the wake of Tuesday's mass killing ... More »

Journalists in Switzerland and Germany are talking about the case of Carl Just: a war reporter suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder who just sued his former employer. Just's lawsuit appears to be the first suit for work-related PTSD to be brought by a journalist against a European media company. More »

Cocodrie, La. After Hurricane Gustav
Interactive Narrative highlighted this full-screen panorama, immersing users in the flood.

Rocky Mountain News Decides not to Twitter Second Funeral
A staff complaint has prevented a repeat of the controversial decision to report a toddler's funeral in text messages, using Twitter.

Media Obstruction in Galveston
The Columbia Journalism Review looks at the natural and human challenges of reporting Hurricane Ike in Texas ... More »

Welcome to DartBlog — a new place to look for informed analysis of media coverage of violence, conflict and tragedy; breakthroughs in trauma science and policy; and how it all bears on the individual reporter. This space will take the place of "Need to Know" and "Story of the Week," with all their past posts accessible in its archive. [Pending. Be patient] More »

According to a study in the September 2008 American Journal of Preventive Medicine, there are only a few proven, effective practices for treating children with post-traumatic stress disorder. Yet more than 75% of mental health professionals may be practicing something else. More »